


driving lessons

by sapphirestark



Series: peter parker's work-life-balance: how to manage school, an internship, and being a superhero [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: (a HAPPY zone lol get it), Driving, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Teen Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Uncle Happy Hogan, happy teaches peter how to drive, he cares about him and i will hear no different, ignores IW and everything beyond that, this is a happy zone as always
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:33:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25000954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphirestark/pseuds/sapphirestark
Summary: Happy cleared his throat. “Right then. Next, gears.” He gestured towards the console and Peter’s eyes widened.“I’m learning stick shift?” All Peter knew about manual transmission was that it was way more difficult and much harder to get right. “Happy, I don’t know –““If you can’t drive stick shift, you can’t drive.”
Relationships: Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: peter parker's work-life-balance: how to manage school, an internship, and being a superhero [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1319834
Comments: 75
Kudos: 1520





	driving lessons

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this in my head ever since FFH and now I just had to write it. It can be read as part of the series or as a standalone, it doesn't matter. Also, yes, I have a license, but I suck at driving, most likely because Happy wasn't my teacher haha.  
> Note: I'm not from the US so please go easy on me with technicalities of how to get a driver's license over there

Peter stared out of the window of the blue Mini, watching the forest outside go by quickly as Happy drove them across the highway. No amount of questioning had gotten him any answers during the ride. Today wasn’t a lab day. Happy had just randomly texted him that he’d wait outside of his school and that Peter better not be late. He also hadn’t gotten any answers as to why Happy chose a Mini, or in his words, a “soccer mum car”, over his usual Audi or Rover, especially considering this one had no partition and thus forced Happy to endure Peter’s rambling with no way of escaping. 

Happy took the next exit, and Peter vaguely recognised the surroundings, which only created more questions. What were they doing at the Compound? 

“Here we are.” Happy parked on the edge of a huge landing deck, shut off the engine of the car, and opened the door. “Get out.” 

Peter scrambled to get out of the backseat (a Mini really did have much less space than the Audis) and shut the door behind him. 

“Okay, so like… what are we doing here?” He was almost never at the Compound – it was much further away than the Tower and the long drive just wasn’t worth it for only one day. Now, though, they were here, unscheduled, on a Friday afternoon when Peter knew that Tony spent the weekend at the Tower. 

Happy sighed and met Peter’s eyes. “This is your birthday present.” 

Of all the things Peter had expected, this hadn’t been on the list. “Oh! You didn’t have to get me anything –” He started. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” 

“Okay, then, thank you for –“ Peter halted, realising that he didn’t really know what the gift even was. Happy raised his eyebrows. “… for this, um –” 

Happy snorted. “That’s one way to put it, kid. Get back in the car.” 

Peter was beyond confused now. Had Happy just driven them here to spend half a minute looking at a giant barren field of asphalt? Granted, quinjets usually landed here, which was pretty awesome, but as far as Peter could tell, no other people, or quinjets, or really anything, were around today. 

“Uh, okay?” He made to open the back door again, deciding not to question Happy on his weird behaviour, when Happy stopped him. 

“Nope, kid. In the front.” 

“The front?”

The corners of Happy’s mouth twitched. “I’m teaching you how to drive.” 

Peter was pretty sure his heart stopped for a second. He was going to do what? 

“You’re gonna do _what_?” 

“You think I’d drive a Mini for any other purpose? You’re welcome. Now get in.” Happy nodded towards the car and started walking to the passenger side. Peter shakily opened the driver’s door and sat down, fumbling with the seat belt. He was not prepared for this, like, at all. The last time he’d driven it had been an absolute disaster, and he wasn’t keen on repeating that. 

“Do you – do you really think I’m ready? I mean –” Peter started. 

“Are you over sixteen or not?” Happy questioned, buckling his seatbelt next to him. 

“Yes, but –“

“No buts, then. First things first, mirrors.” Peter tried to ignore his worries and paid careful attention to everything Happy told him about adjusting his seat, adjusting the mirrors, blind spots, and checking for cyclists when turning. 

“Got it?” 

“Seat first, mirrors second. Keep mirrors clear of dirt and objects. Know the blind spots. Don’t run over cyclists,” Peter recounted, feeling calmer with every bit of information he got. The fewer unknown variables there were, the less there was to worry about. 

“Good.” Happy nodded in approval. Peter looked at him, apprehension still clear in his eyes. Happy’s gaze softened. 

“Listen, kid, there’s nothing to worry about, alright? There’s no one here besides us. No one to run over, no obstacles to hit, no one to witness potential, uhm, mishaps. Not that there’ll be any,” he raised his eyebrows, “after all, you’ve got me as a teacher.” 

Peter sent him a small smile. “Thanks, Happy.”

Happy cleared his throat. “Right then. Next, gears.” He gestured towards the console and Peter’s eyes widened. 

“I’m learning stick shift?” All Peter knew about manual transmission was that it was way more difficult and much harder to get right. “Happy, I don’t know –“

“If you can’t drive stick shift, you can’t drive.” Happy’s voice left no room for discussion and Peter remembered various incidents of Happy complaining about how automatic took all the fun out of driving. No surprise, then. 

“But isn’t this a lot harder?” Peter eyed the gear shift warily, the numbers 1 to 6 glaring back at him. 

“It’s not, especially not for someone like you who could probably learn to build this car from scratch faster than you think you can learn to drive it.” Happy’s voice was almost reassuring, which was definitely a new look on him. “Stick shift isn’t the most intuitive, but it will give you a better understanding of the mechanics behind operating cars. So, exactly what a nerd like you needs.” 

Peter smiled weakly. “If you say so?” 

“I do.” Happy smiled back for a millisecond before schooling his expression into teacher mode. “So, gears. I think “reverse” is self-explanatory. As for the others, we’ll start with the first one for today. The most difficult task you’ll face is releasing the clutch without stalling the engine.”

Peter focused on the steering wheel in front of him, the lights of the display staring back at him. Okay. This was fine. He could do this. He took a deep breath and complied with Happy‘s instructions. 

It really proved to be a difficult task. Peter shut down the engine several times before he eventually got it right. 

“You almost had it, kid. Try again, a little slower. As soon as you feel that the car wants to take off, if you feel a minuscule force taking you forward, push the gas slowly.” Happy patted his shoulder reassuringly, and Peter nodded in determination. Clutch, pause, gas –

The car made a little jump, but the horrible sound of the engine stalling never came. A second later, Peter was driving at the slowest possible speed. 

“Oh my God, Happy, I did it!” Peter didn’t dare take his eyes off the giant empty space before him, but he heard Happy chuckle. 

“Well done, kid. Now add a little gas and try slowly swerving to the right.” 

An hour later, Peter had managed more clean starts than stalling, had turned left and right, used turn signals and the brakes. “Alright, kid, that’s it for today. Good job.” 

Peter shut off the engine and turned to Happy, beaming. “That was amazing!” He’d expected driving to be much more harrowing, but even though he was sweating more than he’d like to admit, it turned out he had worried for nothing. Of course, this wasn’t New York City traffic yet, but he felt like he wouldn’t break a car as soon as he sat in the driver’s seat anymore, which was a huge improvement. 

“You’re a great teacher,” he added, meaning every word of it. Happy had been patient, never yelled, and explained things in ways that made sense to Peter. Happy rolled his eyes in response, but Peter wasn’t fooled by his cold exterior. 

“Alright, kid, let’s switch. I’m driving us back to the city.” They switched seats, Peter debating whether he should get in the backseat or not when Happy gestured towards his right. “You earned the front seat today, Pete.”

Gingerly, Peter climbed in next to Happy. “I mean it, you know. I was pretty, well, pretty afraid of this. The last time I drove, it wasn’t… it wasn’t a success story.” That was one way to put it. “But you made it a lot better. So, thanks. It, um, means a lot.” 

Happy met his eyes. “You’re welcome, kid. Driving’s nothing to be afraid of. And with your Spidey sense and enhanced reaction times, you’re already miles ahead of most people.” 

Peter stared. The thought that his abilities could be an advantage here hadn’t even crossed his mind since he hadn’t needed it here, with no real danger present, but he might be able to at least sense and avoid impending crashes in the city. That would definitely be an asset. 

Happy cleared his throat and started the car. “Now watch what I’m doing and learn, or you’re sitting in the back again next time.” A grin formed on Peter’s face and he nodded, not tearing his eyes away from Happy and his movements for even a second. 

After about two minutes, Happy caved. “I changed my mind. This is unnerving. Go back to rambling incessantly,” he ordered. 

Peter giggled. “But Happy, I need to learn! Your lane changes are impeccable. I strive to be like you.” 

Happy rolled his eyes. “I regret this.” 

Suddenly, another thought appeared in Peter’s mind. “Wait, does Mr Stark know we’re doing this? Is he okay with you wasting time on teaching me to drive?” After all, Happy got paid to do other things that were actually beneficial to SI, not babysitting a random teenager who just happened to be at driving age. He bit his lip nervously. 

Happy sighed. “Kid, it’s not wasted time. You need to learn it, and it’s a present from me, remember?” He shot a quick glance towards Peter, who squirmed in his seat. 

“Yeah, and it’s amazing, but –” 

“Don’t worry, kid. Tony knows. Actually, I’m pretty sure he’ll want to teach you a lesson or two himself.” 

Peter’s eyes widened. Mr Stark wanted to go driving with him? “Wait, really?”

“Of course. He was pretty pissed I called dibs first, but he had to admit that someone who actually gets paid to drive might be a better teacher than someone who lets his AI drive most of the time. Or gets driven.” 

Peter leaned back in his seat. “That’s – that’s really nice. Of both of you. Thank you, really.” 

“Don’t mention it, kid. Tony can do the mechanic part and teach you how an engine works. God knows he has enough cars for it.” 

Peter grinned widely. “That would be so cool!”

“Told him you would say that. Now watch as I’m expertly crossing this junction without killing any pedestrians.” An ear-splitting honk later, the junction was behind them and they were approaching Queens.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! Sorry if any car terms are wrong, I barely know those in my native language lmao. If you wanna say hi on tumblr you can find me @sapphirestark! :) I appreciate kudos and comments/feedback as always. xx


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